Early voting begins for District 1 premlinary

Officials from the Manatee and Sarasota counties Supervisor of Elections offices said more than 75 people voted Friday, Jan. 15, at Town Hall on the first day of early voting for the District 1 preliminary election.

The commission approved spending $30,000 last month for a weeklong early voting event.

All three candidates are expected to make appearances at Town Hall during early voting to talk to voters and encourage voting.

The preliminary election is  for District 1 candidates Lynn Larson, Lee Pokoik and incumbent Mayor Lee Rothenberg .

Early voting will be held through Friday, Jan. 22, at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.

Early voting hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Early voting will not be held Monday, Jan. 18 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Remember to bring your picture ID with your signature in order to vote.

The preliminary election, which will decide which two candidates will move onto the municipal election in March, will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].